Box Score
HERSHEY, Pa. - Lebanon Valley College outshot SUNY-Cortland in the first period, 14-8, doing everything in its power to take its first lead of the season. The Red Dragons, however, made good on its first chance of the game less than 30 seconds in and followed up with a goal just past the halfway mark of the first period to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Nicholas Schultz led the way for the Dutchmen, with eight of LVC's shots. Early in the third period, he broke through for the Dutchmen with his second goal of the season. Wesley Landsem and Rory Wilkowich each had four shots for the Dutchmen.
The game started out with both teams sending a player to the penalty box to serve matching protocol violation penalties for not leaving the ice at the required time after warmups. The 4-on-4 start to the game allowed for open space and the Red Dragons took advantage.
Jarrett Gold needed just 23 seconds to get SUNY-Cortland on the board with an unassisted goal on the first shot of the game.
Patrick Palmisano extended the SUNY-Cortland lead to 2-0 with a score at the 10:20 mark. After neither team gained solid control of the faceoff, Palmisano drifted from the left circle towards the slot where a pass from Jake Saville was sent his way. Palmisano one-timed a shot past Rich Drazin for the two-goal lead.
The Dutchmen had good pressure on a power play with Cortland's Joey Christiano off for boarding. LVC sent four shots towards goal - three of the stick of Nicholas Schultz - but Mike Reilly was there to deny them all. Once the Red Dragons gained control of the puck and cleared the zone, LVC's Rory Wilkowich took a hooking penalty to nullify the man advantage. Cortland gave the man-up right back to LVC 28 seconds later with a hooking penalty of its own. The return to the power play gave LVC some increased jump, peppering Reilly with three more shots and sending another just wide. The Dutchmen held a 14-8 advantage in shots after the first period, but couldn't solve Reilly.
Cortland added to its lead 1:57 into the second period with a goal off the stick of Christiano. The Red Dragons came in on Drazin with a 3-on-1, and Christiano found the back of the net after the first pass attempt and then the first shot was blocked by LVC defenseman William Brown. Christiano pounced on the loose puck before any LVC backcheckers and his slapshot scored for the 3-0 lead.
The Dutchmen had their chances in the middle stanza with the lines of Rory Wilkowich-Brad Surdam-Wesley Landsem and Corey Conte-Anthony Longo-Matthew Terreri having extended pressure down low. However, Red Dragon goaltender Dan Jewell turned away all eight shots he faced after replacing Reilly to start the second.
In the third period, with the Dutchmen in the last minute of a five-minute power play, Schultz connected for LVC's first power play goal of the year. Taking a pass from Wilkowich, he snapped a quick shot over Brittan Kuhlman's blocker and into the top right corner to bring LVC within two with 19:39 to play in the game.
Just over a minute later, Christiano scored his second goal of the game, streaking down the right wing and roofing a wrist shot over Drazin's glove to recapture the three-goal lead for the Red Dragons. Four minutes later, Cortland scored a PPG of its own when Gold stuffed home a rebound of Justin Porpora's shot from the point. 15 seconds after that, Mike Lysyj added the sixth Red Dragon goal.
Rich Drazin again was busy in net for the Dutchmen, finishing with 35 saves. He made 17 in the second period alone.
A focus on winning faceoffs allowed LVC to control play at times. Anthony Longo and Brad Surdam each won 10 draws. Longo was a stellar 10-of-12 on faceoffs for the night.
